Multi-Mode Scaling of Offshore Wind Turbine Models for DONISIS Seismic Centrifuge Tests
Multi-Mode Scaling of Offshore Wind Turbine Models for DONISIS Seismic Centrifuge Tests
Geotechnical centrifuges enable reproduction of prototype stress conditions in reduced-scale models by subjecting them to an enhanced gravitational field. In the context of offshore wind research, they are widely used to investigate seismic soil-structure interaction (SSI), often with the superstructure replaced by a simplified scaled model, tuned to match only the first bending mode of the prototype. While straightforward to design and fabricate, such models neglect higher bending modes, which can significantly influence the seismic response of offshore wind turbines (OWTs). This study presents a scaling methodology for fabricating centrifuge-scale OWT models that preserve the key dynamic properties of the prototype. The resulting model more accurately reproduces prototype behaviour than a conventional first-modetuned model, as demonstrated by numerical validation with linear seismic analyses. The optimised design was 3D-printed and tested in the ETH Zurich Geotechnical Centrifuge Centre (GCC). Experimental results confirmed close agreement with target modal properties, validating the proposed methodology.
S. Panagoulias; Liam Jones; Eva Brunschweiler; I. Anastasopoulos; F. Pisano; Apostolos Tsouvalas; V. Andrei Metrikine; Evangelos Kementzetzidis
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Special Session 2: Seismic behaviour of offshore foundations from dynamic centrifuge testing
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-349